When a quiet and mature Rahul Dravid suddenly stepped down as captain of the Indian team, this unexpected quirk of destiny catapulted a young man firmly onto the troubled hot seat of Indian cricket’s top job. Mahendra Singh Dhoni – fast and furious, young and powerful – picked up the baton and seemed just the right man to head the ODI squad. And when India’s brimming with youth boys in blue soundly whipped their age-old nemesis in yellow, the long-haired 26-year-old wicket-keeper captain became the undisputed darling of the masses.

It was a tumultuous welcome that the victorious brigade got when they returned to home soil with the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup trophy, before they plunged into an ongoing tough series on national soil. The streets were awash with people, bikes followed the open-topped BEST bus, weaving in and out of the crowds on the road…. And teenagers swooned at the sight of the young stars.

Amidst all this hullabaloo – as the six-sixes-in-an-over hitter Yuvraj Singh danced with a red cloth slung over his shoulders and a boisterous S Sreesanth waved excitedly to the crowds – Dhoni could be spotted watching it all, keeping an eye on the trophy. Not that he did not partake in the swirl of excitement – a front-row teenager who could almost have touched the slow moving, often-stopping bus, swore that he winked at her!

In between all the mad frenzy, Dhoni paused a few moments to interact with us about the historic win. Going into the tournament with the odds stacked heavily against them, the team came up trumps. The viewers – who were glued to the seesawing contest – can still recall the nail biting finale when the ball flew high in the air and into the arms of a waiting Sreesanth to script an Indian win. Dhoni, who had shown his enthusiasm on the field (his characteristic gesture being his arms outstretched), was naturally delighted. “When I realised we had won I was really happy. Ecstatic. I was on the top of the world at that point,” he states. “I am a very emotional guy. Most of my decisions are taken from the heart. But I did not know how to celebrate the win.” And, as he said in the melee at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, he realised how big the win was only after returning home.

The Dhoni dhamaka has re-infused young blood into a team that had begun to witness the inevitable ageing of its great sporting icons. How does he feel heading the charge of the youth brigade? “I don’t think ‘youth factor’ is the right word,” he corrects. “The team spirit was what was important and we won because everyone wanted to win the tournament.”

He has donned the mantle of leader and, at the moment, it seems to be sitting lightly on his shoulders. Watching a match, when the going gets tough, you can often see him walking out from his customary position behind the wickets to give the bowler a pep talk. The timing of the victory won him leadership accolades. In fact, what came across on the field was the fact that they were out there to have a blast. Dhoni had told his boys to give of their best and not worry about the results. “We were not worried about what would happen,” he states. “We tried not to have any pressure on us. We love the game of cricket. We just wanted to enjoy ourselves.”

This tall rugged man seems to fear nothing and no one. “It’s all in the mind,” he believes. “Playing without fear means that we cannot be intimidated by any opponents no matter how big they are. We will try to keep that feeling forever.”